


Vakarian’s Nightmare

by HalRose



Series: Mass Effect: The Vakarians [5]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Cerberus - Freeform, Character Death In Dream, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Paragon Shepard (Mass Effect), Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25649560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalRose/pseuds/HalRose
Summary: Earth is in danger, and Athena Shepard-Vakarian doesn’t know how things are going to turn out.
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Series: Mass Effect: The Vakarians [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768630
Kudos: 5





	Vakarian’s Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, it's been a while. Enjoy!

**Athena**

Hackett is dead.

Ashley tells us when we get in contact with her, that Cerberus shot him dead after they were ambushed during an investigation.  
The Council don’t give a fuck about what happens to Earth, but the Alliance want to give me Hackett’s job.  
He hasn’t been dead twenty-four hours yet and they want me to take his job.

I’m too numb to respond, and Garrus takes over. He tells Ashley we’ll come to her as soon as we can, we just need to assemble our team and sends Miranda and Liara on a mission using the Normandy’s tools to find out where all our old squad are situated.

Zaeed is too old for combat now, and he’s retired so we leave him be wherever he may be.  
We don’t really know where Kasumi is. Samara wants to spend more time in retirement and respectfully asks we leave her alone, so we do.  
We know for a fact that Wrex and Grunt will be up for the task, and so will Javik if we find him.  
Tali and Liara are always ready to join us on a mission, they joined us on the Citadel and we all live close to one another.

I know for a fact that James Vega may be interested in helping us, but he’s also with the Alliance so he may be on Earth with Ashley already.  
Oriana wants to help because her husband is working with Cerberus, and she wants to see if she can save him – highly unlikely, but I don’t want to tell her that to her face.  
The only member we’re not too sure about is Jack, because she may still be a teacher and may want to teach her students… but if we tell her Cerberus is involved, I’m sure she’d want to help.

So our possible squad looks like it will consist of Garrus, Liara, Tali, Wrex, Grunt, Ashley, James, Javik and Jack, Miranda and Oriana.  
If we split them up into teams of three, we could cover a lot more ground.  
Team 1 would consist of Garrus, Liara and Tali  
Team 2 would be Miranda, Oriana and Ashley  
Team 3 would be Wrex, Grunt and Javik  
Team 4 would be James and Jack – they’d be down a squad member, obviously due to the fact I’m not there, but Jack and James know how to pack a punch.

Miranda asked me about Jacob Taylor possibly joining us, but I told her that the last time I saw him, he didn’t give a shit about us or our mission and had already moved on and so I doubt he will work with us.  
Garrus made me promise him that I won’t be going out onto the battlefield again, not whilst I’m pregnant with our twins and after what happened with Maya Brooks and the Shepard Clone from Hell.  
I will be on the Normandy, arranging everything and giving commands from there.

I get some rest at the apartment I share with my son Demus, and Garrus. We’re gonna need a bigger place soon, but we don’t want to leave the Citadel. Anderson’s old apartment is way too small for our growing family.  
Above the Presidium are bigger apartments, meant for government officials. If I became an Admiral, then I’m sure I could secure my family a better place to live.

Demus is in his room, reading something and I tell him to wake me if somebody comes to find us.  
A short while later, I start dreaming.

In my dream there is fire. There is screaming and it is all too familiar. I heard it when the Reapers came to Earth. All screams sound the same in my dreams – you never get used to the sound of the dying, but you’re told to move on.  
But how can you?

I can hear Garrus calling out for me – and in front of me, on the ground in the rubble, is an all too familiar face.  
He’s lying there, not breathing, not laughing or playing as he always does.  
It’s Demus. Demus is dead, on the ground. 

I look around to see if the monster that has killed him has stuck around, but I see nothing.  
I drop to my knees and bring my baby into my arms – he has a scar on his face, identical to his father’s own scar. I shake him to try and wake him, but he doesn’t stir.  
The next thing that happens is the scenery changes. Maya Brooks comes onto the scene and points a gun at me, taunting me about how I couldn’t save my son from her, from Cerberus.

Then I see an Earth that has been enslaved by Cerberus. I know this dream is a nightmare. I can’t even cry, I’m in so much shock and I feel sick stuck in my throat. I cough, and call out for Garrus, but he is nowhere to be found.

I don’t say anything else. I just call out for anybody to help me, and Maya starts laughing- Commander Shepard turned Vakarian calling out for help? Pitiful, Weak, All alone.  
Maya sticks her gun in the middle of my forehead and pulls the trigger. 

I wake up screaming, almost jumping out of the bed.

Demus runs into the room and climbs onto the bed.

“Mummy?” he asks softly, concerned.

“I need you to find your Father.” Is all I can say, laying down on the bed again.

I wasn’t even asleep long, but my nightmare… it was all too real. If we don’t do something soon, Earth is screwed. We’re screwed.  
I don’t know how things are going to turn out, but Cerberus needs to be stopped.

I don’t want to lose my family or friends. I can’t. Not any more. No more. No more deaths.  
But its the price you have to pay in this line of work. But I will save as many people as I can.  
I don’t plan on dying. Not until I’m old and grey and have actually experienced retirement.

Garrus knows all too well what has happened when he comes back into the apartment after Demus finds him.  
He can tell by the way I look at him. The fear he sees in my eyes.

“Another nightmare?” He asks.

I tell him what happened in my nightmare and he pulls me close, promising me that my nightmare will not come true. Demus won’t die and Earth won’t be enslaved by Cerberus.  
He places a hand on my bump, and I put my hand on top of his.

“I… I have those nightmares too. You're not alone.” He tells me and we lean into each other. “We’re gonna be okay. Because Archangel is definitely back in action.”

I can’t help but laugh.

“I love you, Garrus Vakarian.” I whisper.

“I love you, Athena Shepard-Vakarian.” He replies.


End file.
